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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
February 28, 2012
Wyoming GOP Reps Planning for Collapse of the United States, Want to Buy an Aircraft Carrier
For those who agree with Ron Paul and friends that the US should withdraw from the world entirely (no foreign aid for you!) and the federal government should be pretty much dissolved in favor of allowing the 50 states to run their own affairs, here's a little preview of the sort of thing we might expect if they get their way:
The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/818480/wyoming_gop_reps_planning_for_collapse_of_the_united_states%2C_want_to_buy_an_aircraft_carrier/
Unhinged GOPers in Wyoming
Wyoming GOP Reps Planning for Collapse of the United States, Want to Buy an Aircraft Carrier
For those who agree with Ron Paul and friends that the US should withdraw from the world entirely (no foreign aid for you!) and the federal government should be pretty much dissolved in favor of allowing the 50 states to run their own affairs, here's a little preview of the sort of thing we might expect if they get their way:
On Friday, the Wyoming House of Representatives advanced a bill to set up a task force to prepare for the total economic and political collapse of the United States. Per the bill, the panel would investigate things like food storage options and metals-based currencies, to be implemented in the event of a major catastrophe.
Then it goes three steps further. An amendment by GOP state rep. Kermit Brown*, calls on the task force to examine "Conditions under which the state of Wyoming should implement a draft, raise a standing army, marine corps, navy and air force and acquire strike aircraft and an aircraft carrier." As Miller explained to the Casper Star-Tribune, "Things happen quickly sometimes."
.........(more)
Then it goes three steps further. An amendment by GOP state rep. Kermit Brown*, calls on the task force to examine "Conditions under which the state of Wyoming should implement a draft, raise a standing army, marine corps, navy and air force and acquire strike aircraft and an aircraft carrier." As Miller explained to the Casper Star-Tribune, "Things happen quickly sometimes."
The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/818480/wyoming_gop_reps_planning_for_collapse_of_the_united_states%2C_want_to_buy_an_aircraft_carrier/
February 28, 2012
(Bloomberg) Maybe, as the novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald suggested, the rich really are different. They’re more likely to behave badly, according to seven experiments that weighed the ethics of hundreds of people.
The “upper class,” as defined by the study, were more likely to break the law while driving, take candy from children, lie in negotiation, cheat to increase their odds of winning a prize and endorse unethical behavior at work, researchers reported today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Taken together, the experiments suggest at least some wealthier people “perceive greed as positive and beneficial,” probably as a result of education, personal independence and the resources they have to deal with potentially negative consequences, the authors wrote.
While the tests measured only “minor infractions,” that factor made the results “even more surprising,” said Paul Piff, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a study author. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-27/wealthier-people-more-likely-than-poorer-to-lie-or-cheat-researchers-find.html
Wealthy More Likely To Lie, Cheat: Researchers
(Bloomberg) Maybe, as the novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald suggested, the rich really are different. They’re more likely to behave badly, according to seven experiments that weighed the ethics of hundreds of people.
The “upper class,” as defined by the study, were more likely to break the law while driving, take candy from children, lie in negotiation, cheat to increase their odds of winning a prize and endorse unethical behavior at work, researchers reported today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Taken together, the experiments suggest at least some wealthier people “perceive greed as positive and beneficial,” probably as a result of education, personal independence and the resources they have to deal with potentially negative consequences, the authors wrote.
While the tests measured only “minor infractions,” that factor made the results “even more surprising,” said Paul Piff, a Ph.D. candidate in psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and a study author. ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-27/wealthier-people-more-likely-than-poorer-to-lie-or-cheat-researchers-find.html
February 27, 2012
Morris Berman, "Why America Failed: The Roots of Imperial Decline"
It's a pretty blunt and none-too-hopeful assessment, but well worth a watch if you didn't see it on BookTV this weekend.
http://www.booktv.org/Watch/13006/Why+America+Failed+The+Roots+of+Imperial+Decline.aspx
Morris Berman talks about the third book in his trilogy on the decline of the American empire. Mr. Berman argues that self-interest trumping the common good has led the U.S. astray. This event was hosted by Barnes & Noble Booksellers in Los Angeles.
February 27, 2012
Published on Monday, February 27, 2012 by Common Dreams
Move Our Money: New State Bank Bills Address Credit and Housing Crises
by Ellen Brown
Seventeen states have now introduced bills for state-owned banks, and others are in the works. Hawaii’s innovative state bank bill addresses the foreclosure mess. County-owned banks are being proposed that would tackle the housing crisis by exercising the right of eminent domain on abandoned and foreclosed properties. Arizona has a bill that would do this for homeowners who are current in their payments but underwater, allowing them to refinance at fair market value.
The long-awaited settlement between 49 state Attorneys General and the big five robo-signing banks is proving to be a monumental disappointment before it has even been signed, sealed and court approved. It appears that the bankers who took your home and your job will again be buying their way out of jail, and the curtain will again drop on the scene of the crime.
We may not be able to beat the banks, but we don’t have to play their game. We can take our marbles and go home. The Move Your Money campaign has already prompted more than 600,000 consumers to move their funds out of Wall Street banks into local banks, and there are much larger pools that could be pulled out in the form of state revenues. States generally deposit their revenues and invest their capital with large Wall Street banks, which use those hefty sums to speculate, invest abroad, and buy up the local banks that service our communities and local economies. The states receive a modest interest, and Wall Street lends the money back at much higher interest. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/02/27-0
Move Our Money: New State Bank Bills Address Credit and Housing Crises
Published on Monday, February 27, 2012 by Common Dreams
Move Our Money: New State Bank Bills Address Credit and Housing Crises
by Ellen Brown
Seventeen states have now introduced bills for state-owned banks, and others are in the works. Hawaii’s innovative state bank bill addresses the foreclosure mess. County-owned banks are being proposed that would tackle the housing crisis by exercising the right of eminent domain on abandoned and foreclosed properties. Arizona has a bill that would do this for homeowners who are current in their payments but underwater, allowing them to refinance at fair market value.
The long-awaited settlement between 49 state Attorneys General and the big five robo-signing banks is proving to be a monumental disappointment before it has even been signed, sealed and court approved. It appears that the bankers who took your home and your job will again be buying their way out of jail, and the curtain will again drop on the scene of the crime.
We may not be able to beat the banks, but we don’t have to play their game. We can take our marbles and go home. The Move Your Money campaign has already prompted more than 600,000 consumers to move their funds out of Wall Street banks into local banks, and there are much larger pools that could be pulled out in the form of state revenues. States generally deposit their revenues and invest their capital with large Wall Street banks, which use those hefty sums to speculate, invest abroad, and buy up the local banks that service our communities and local economies. The states receive a modest interest, and Wall Street lends the money back at much higher interest. ..............(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/02/27-0
February 27, 2012
(Bloomberg) Warren Buffett, who controls the biggest shareholding of the No. 1 U.S. mortgage lender, said banks were victimized by some homeowners who refinanced their loans before getting evicted.
“Large numbers of people who have ‘lost’ their house through foreclosure have actually realized a profit because they carried out refinancings earlier that gave them cash in excess of their cost,” Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK/A), said Feb. 25 in his annual letter. “In these cases, the evicted homeowner was the winner, and the victim was the lender.”
Foreclosures have claimed about 5 million homes since the property market began its slide in 2006. That has saddled lenders like Bank of America Corp. with defaults, vacated properties and lawsuits. Berkshire, whose stake in Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC), the largest U.S. mortgage lender, is valued at more than $11 billion, invested $5 billion in Bank of America last year.
“It’s the mercenary side of Buffett,” said Jeff Matthews, a Berkshire shareholder and author of “Secrets in Plain Sight: Business & Investing Secrets of Warren Buffett.” “Rationally, it’s an interesting observation. But it ignores the huge human- cost side of the equation.” ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-27/buffett-says-banks-victimized-by-evicted-homeowners-who-emerged-as-winners.html
Warren Buffett stands up for the Banksters
(Bloomberg) Warren Buffett, who controls the biggest shareholding of the No. 1 U.S. mortgage lender, said banks were victimized by some homeowners who refinanced their loans before getting evicted.
“Large numbers of people who have ‘lost’ their house through foreclosure have actually realized a profit because they carried out refinancings earlier that gave them cash in excess of their cost,” Buffett, chairman and chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK/A), said Feb. 25 in his annual letter. “In these cases, the evicted homeowner was the winner, and the victim was the lender.”
Foreclosures have claimed about 5 million homes since the property market began its slide in 2006. That has saddled lenders like Bank of America Corp. with defaults, vacated properties and lawsuits. Berkshire, whose stake in Wells Fargo & Co. (WFC), the largest U.S. mortgage lender, is valued at more than $11 billion, invested $5 billion in Bank of America last year.
“It’s the mercenary side of Buffett,” said Jeff Matthews, a Berkshire shareholder and author of “Secrets in Plain Sight: Business & Investing Secrets of Warren Buffett.” “Rationally, it’s an interesting observation. But it ignores the huge human- cost side of the equation.” ................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-27/buffett-says-banks-victimized-by-evicted-homeowners-who-emerged-as-winners.html
February 27, 2012
from Making Contact:
Capitalism Makes us Crazy: Dr Gabor Maté on Illness & Addiction
Humans have always used drugs, but current level of drug abuse could indicate a bigger problem that we’re driving people into addiction. What’s the connection between the increase in chronic diseases, mental illness and drug addiction in our society today? On this edition, Dr. Gabor Maté talks about the relationship between mind and body health – and what the rise of capitalism has done to destroy both.
Listen: http://www.radioproject.org/2012/02/gabor-mate-illness-addiction/
Capitalism Makes us Crazy: Dr Gabor Maté on Illness & Addiction
from Making Contact:
Capitalism Makes us Crazy: Dr Gabor Maté on Illness & Addiction
Humans have always used drugs, but current level of drug abuse could indicate a bigger problem that we’re driving people into addiction. What’s the connection between the increase in chronic diseases, mental illness and drug addiction in our society today? On this edition, Dr. Gabor Maté talks about the relationship between mind and body health – and what the rise of capitalism has done to destroy both.
Listen: http://www.radioproject.org/2012/02/gabor-mate-illness-addiction/
February 27, 2012
(Bloomberg) News Corp. (NWSA) agreed to pay 600,000 pounds ($952,000) to Charlotte Church, the U.K. pop star, and admitted its News of the World tabloid hacked her mobile-phone messages for “many years,” starting when she was 16 years old.
At a court hearing today in London, News Corp. lawyers said the company regularly harassed Church’s family, put them under surveillance, hacked the phone of her father and acquired details of her mother’s “complex medical history” and suicide attempt to write scoops about the Welsh singer, now 26.
“I would have learned nothing more from an actual trial, since it is clear that no one from News International was prepared to take the stand to explain their actions,” Church said in a statement referring to the company’s U.K. publishing unit. “In my opinion, they are not truly sorry, only sorry that they got caught.”
One of about 70 victims to sue News International, Church settled last week, days before the first civil trial over the scandal was to begin. The deal comes after a person familiar with the matter, who isn’t authorized to speak about the case, said Church’s agent in Los Angeles and publicist in New York have been identified as the first potential American victims of the tabloid’s hacking. ..........(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-27/news-corp-to-pay-951-000-to-u-k-pop-star-church-over-phone-hacking.html
News Corp. to Pay $952,000 to Hacked Pop Star
(Bloomberg) News Corp. (NWSA) agreed to pay 600,000 pounds ($952,000) to Charlotte Church, the U.K. pop star, and admitted its News of the World tabloid hacked her mobile-phone messages for “many years,” starting when she was 16 years old.
At a court hearing today in London, News Corp. lawyers said the company regularly harassed Church’s family, put them under surveillance, hacked the phone of her father and acquired details of her mother’s “complex medical history” and suicide attempt to write scoops about the Welsh singer, now 26.
“I would have learned nothing more from an actual trial, since it is clear that no one from News International was prepared to take the stand to explain their actions,” Church said in a statement referring to the company’s U.K. publishing unit. “In my opinion, they are not truly sorry, only sorry that they got caught.”
One of about 70 victims to sue News International, Church settled last week, days before the first civil trial over the scandal was to begin. The deal comes after a person familiar with the matter, who isn’t authorized to speak about the case, said Church’s agent in Los Angeles and publicist in New York have been identified as the first potential American victims of the tabloid’s hacking. ..........(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-02-27/news-corp-to-pay-951-000-to-u-k-pop-star-church-over-phone-hacking.html
February 27, 2012
from CBC News:
The robocall controversy appears to be broadening, with opposition parties claiming the number of ridings affected by voter-suppression calls in the last federal election is greater than first thought.
New Democrat MP Pat Martin says he is aware of at least 34 ridings that received automated phone calls , although his party lists only 29.
Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae said his party is aware of 27 ridings, but he expects the number to rise by Monday, when the House of Commons resumes.
The opposition are accusing the Harper Conservatives of orchestrating a campaign of dirty tricks in the May 2 election, but the Conservatives have denied the charges. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/02/26/pol-robocalls-cp.html
Conservative Slime Update: Dirty Tricks North of the Border
from CBC News:
The robocall controversy appears to be broadening, with opposition parties claiming the number of ridings affected by voter-suppression calls in the last federal election is greater than first thought.
New Democrat MP Pat Martin says he is aware of at least 34 ridings that received automated phone calls , although his party lists only 29.
Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae said his party is aware of 27 ridings, but he expects the number to rise by Monday, when the House of Commons resumes.
The opposition are accusing the Harper Conservatives of orchestrating a campaign of dirty tricks in the May 2 election, but the Conservatives have denied the charges. ...................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/story/2012/02/26/pol-robocalls-cp.html
February 27, 2012
(AFP) PARIS — France's ecology ministry said Monday it had asked European regulators to suspend authorisation for the use of genetically modified MON 810 maize crops from US company Monsanto based on new studies.
The request is "based on the latest scientific studies" which show that the use of the GM crops "pose significant risks for the environment," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry pointed to a recent study by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that raised concerns with another form of GM crop, BT11, that it said could also be applied to MON 810.
"If the European Union does not act, we can invoke the safeguard clause" which allows EU nations to independently restrict or prohibit the sales of products, it said. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iOxZOfuX4KSkstZty08AzzUJhXEQ?docId=CNG.d5e48e910f1bc7e45824855c44596f20.131
France asks EU to suspend GM crop authorization
(AFP) PARIS — France's ecology ministry said Monday it had asked European regulators to suspend authorisation for the use of genetically modified MON 810 maize crops from US company Monsanto based on new studies.
The request is "based on the latest scientific studies" which show that the use of the GM crops "pose significant risks for the environment," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry pointed to a recent study by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that raised concerns with another form of GM crop, BT11, that it said could also be applied to MON 810.
"If the European Union does not act, we can invoke the safeguard clause" which allows EU nations to independently restrict or prohibit the sales of products, it said. .................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5iOxZOfuX4KSkstZty08AzzUJhXEQ?docId=CNG.d5e48e910f1bc7e45824855c44596f20.131
February 27, 2012
Big Food Must Go: Why We Need to Radically Change the Way We Eat
This is not a problem we can solve by going vegetarian or vegan, or buying organic and fair trade.
February 26, 2012 |
It is no longer news that a few powerful corporations have literally occupied the vast majority of human sustenance. The situation is perilous: nearly all of human food production, seeds, food processing and sales, is run by a handful of for-profit firms which, like any capitalist enterprise, function to maximize profit and gain ever-greater market share and control. The question has become: What do we do about this disastrous alignment of pure profit in something so basic and fundamental to human survival?
It is time -- now, not next year -- to de-occupy Walmart. And Archer Daniels Midland. And Tyson Foods. And Monsanto. And Cargill. And Kraft Foods. And the other large corporations that decide what ends up on our plates. Take all our money out, public and personal, from our shopping dollars to school district lunch contracts to the corporate subsidies that uphold these firms' grip on our food supply, and invest it in a new system that's economically diverse and ecologically sustainable.
These corporations' stranglehold over food has wreaked havoc on the environment, our health, farmers, workers, and our very future. It is time for an end to Big Food, and a societal shift to something radically different. We all deserve a future where what we eat feeds community and land, instead of eroding soils, polluting water and air, and tossing away small farmers and immigrant workers as if they were balance sheet losers.
"Occupying the food system" has emerged as a rallying cry as activists and movements across the country, from Willie Nelson to more than 60 Occupy groups are turning up the heat on "big food" in nationwide actions today. Across the US, online and offline, thousands will be protesting icons of corporate control over food such as Monsanto and Cargill, and literally occupying vacant lots and tilling long-ignored soils in a mass-scale rejuvenation of community-led food production. (Find out more about the day of action here.) ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/food/154311/big_food_must_go%3A_why_we_need_to_radically_change_the_way_we_eat/
Big Food Must Go: Why We Need to Radically Change the Way We Eat
AlterNet / By Christopher D. CookBig Food Must Go: Why We Need to Radically Change the Way We Eat
This is not a problem we can solve by going vegetarian or vegan, or buying organic and fair trade.
February 26, 2012 |
It is no longer news that a few powerful corporations have literally occupied the vast majority of human sustenance. The situation is perilous: nearly all of human food production, seeds, food processing and sales, is run by a handful of for-profit firms which, like any capitalist enterprise, function to maximize profit and gain ever-greater market share and control. The question has become: What do we do about this disastrous alignment of pure profit in something so basic and fundamental to human survival?
It is time -- now, not next year -- to de-occupy Walmart. And Archer Daniels Midland. And Tyson Foods. And Monsanto. And Cargill. And Kraft Foods. And the other large corporations that decide what ends up on our plates. Take all our money out, public and personal, from our shopping dollars to school district lunch contracts to the corporate subsidies that uphold these firms' grip on our food supply, and invest it in a new system that's economically diverse and ecologically sustainable.
These corporations' stranglehold over food has wreaked havoc on the environment, our health, farmers, workers, and our very future. It is time for an end to Big Food, and a societal shift to something radically different. We all deserve a future where what we eat feeds community and land, instead of eroding soils, polluting water and air, and tossing away small farmers and immigrant workers as if they were balance sheet losers.
"Occupying the food system" has emerged as a rallying cry as activists and movements across the country, from Willie Nelson to more than 60 Occupy groups are turning up the heat on "big food" in nationwide actions today. Across the US, online and offline, thousands will be protesting icons of corporate control over food such as Monsanto and Cargill, and literally occupying vacant lots and tilling long-ignored soils in a mass-scale rejuvenation of community-led food production. (Find out more about the day of action here.) ..................(more)
The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/food/154311/big_food_must_go%3A_why_we_need_to_radically_change_the_way_we_eat/
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